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January 7, 2022

Tips for Preventing Injury from Winter Sports

Tips for Preventing Injury from Winter Sports

For many, the winter months stay synonymous with exciting high adrenaline sports like skiing and snowboarding. Before you hit the slopes, it is critical to focus on strengthening your body and ensuring you are flexible to avert serious injury from the dynamic movements of skiing and snowboarding. By reading this article, you will get a guide to prepare your body for winter excitement and help prevent serious injuries.

Strengthening your Muscles for Winter Sports

The major muscles of skiing and snowboarding involve the glutes, hips, thighs, lower legs, and feet. According to the Journal of Sports Medicine, one of the best ways to meet skiing or snowboarding demands is to work on your lower body strength, conditioning, and endurance. These can be done at home with or without equipment.

Squats will develop your quads, glutes, and core strength. Lunges, in addition to squats, will strengthen your quad muscles and your glutes. Other leg muscles to focus on include the lower leg and foot muscles since they constantly get activated by stabilizing your feet, ankles, and ultimately your knees.

Your back also deserves attention because a strong back helps maintain balance, posture, and stabilize your pelvis, where many leg muscles originate. A strong back may help prevent falls. An unexpected fall while skiing or snowboarding can lead to muscle soreness, pain, or worse, broken bones. Performing these small 15-minute back exercises when you get out of bed in the morning will help strengthen your back and maintain its flexibility.

Finally, focus on your core. Your core helps guide your body, your posture and enables you to stay upright during lateral movements. Having good core strength while doing winter sports will also help prevent sudden falls.

Stretching your Muscles For Winter Sports

Since many travel far to get to their skiing or snowboarding destination, it is vital to stretch your entire body before and after any activity. These at-home stretches with foam rollers, tennis balls, and resistance bands can help with your balance and prevent injury, especially when combined with strengthening exercises. A combination of strength exercise and stretching is far superior to only stretching or strengthening alone to prevent sports injuries. Pay attention to your lower leg and ankles joints as these are prone to get sore as well due to their immobility while wearing ski or snow boots.

Remember, as you venture out to the snow, listen to your body. It is ok to take it slow, rest, or stop, especially if there is sudden pain in any part of your body. 

If You Experience Pain or an Injury

If you have soreness that lasts longer than two days, worsening pain, or any other concerning symptoms, seek expert medical care immediately.

Our team at Team Elite Chiropractic is ready to help you get back on your feet when you need a little extra help this winter. Give us a call at 858-633-8036, fill out a form on our website, or go ahead and book your appointment today!


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